October Lawn and Garden Tips

Annuals| Fall Gardening| Perennials

Fall is FINALLY going to be in the air this weekend, so it will be the perfect time to work in the lawn and garden.  Whether you take care of it this weekend or next, just don’t forget to do these things in October.

Flower Power

Plant Bulbs

October is the ideal time to plant bulbs for flowers to look forward to in spring:  daffodils, tulip, crocus, and hyacinth. When you plant these bulbs, go ahead and fertilize them with a balanced fertilizer.  

Dig Bulbs

Some bulbs go in, and some come out.  Bulbs that likely won’t make it through a cold winter in our area include dahlias and caladium (elephant ears).  Store these bulbs in a cool, dry place that will not be exposed to freezing temperatures.

Divide Perennials

We have mentioned this a couple times already this year,  but it is not too late to divide perennials like iris, daylily, hosta, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, yarrow, coreopsis, and daisies.  If you need to know how to divide your perennials, we posted tips a few weeks ago.

Sow Seeds

Now is a great time to sow seeds of larkspurs, poppies, bachelor’s buttons, annual phlox, bluebonnets and more.  You will be delighted in spring when you have a gorgeous show of color from these lovelies.

Plant Annuals

Most annuals (except tender ones) can be planted now and still deliver color for weeks to come.  Your best choices for lasting through the winter are snapdragons, pansies, ornamental kale and cabbage, and violas.

Vegetable Garden

Many vegetables can be planted this fall.  For more specifics about what veggies will do well in fall/winter, check out our post about Fall Vegetable Planting.  If you do not plan to keep a fall/winter garden, plant a cover crop like annual rye, barley or wheat.  You can also till organic material (think fall leaves) into the soil.

Keep in mind that salad veggies (lettuce, radish, carrots, onions) can do really well in a cold frame if you have one (or want to purchase or build one).

Lawn Love

You should have aerated and seeded your tall fescue lawns by now, but if you haven’t, do that ASAP.  Remember it is really important to keep newly seeded areas watered. Do your best to keep leaves off the lawn as the new grass is growing.  This is also the perfect time to fertilize tall fescue. Whatever fertilizer you choose, follow the directions for application.

For your warm season grasses, you should apply a pre-emergent weed control.  Keep in mind that warm grasses will start to go dormant in the next few weeks.   

Fall is perfect for planting trees and shrubs.  We have so many beautiful trees and shrubs to choose from, and we recently shared lots of tips specific to planting them.  

October is a great time to get your garden on.  Come on in, bring green home, and then get to work. Happy planting!